THE MAGIC BOX; night -- a few minutes later.
GILES shelves some items as ANYA amuses herself with the
cash register. The door opens and MARY enters, dropping her bag of weapons on the counter with a thud, unzipping it. GILES looks somewhere between perplexed and wary, Anya just looks annoyed.
ANYA: You're going to break the counter!
MARY: Sorry Anya. How's the money?
ANYA: Good! Thanks for - Hey! Your one of those sex things.
MARY: I am not! I'm Mary Sue, th -
XANDER and WILLOW come bursting in, out of breath.
XANDER: Giles! She..with the..and Buffy - gone! And with the stakes...
MARY: Xander, you're so excitable. Just like when we met and -
WILLOW: What, five minutes ago?
GILES: Could someone just -
MARY: You skated into that pole when you saw me because you were taken aback by my beauty and
you thought I didn't see you but (giggles) I did, it was really very charming.
GILES (at the same time as ANYA): If someone would be so kind as to explain -
ANYA (at the same time as GILES): I thought you skated into a pole when you met Buffy.
MARY: Who's this Buffy you guys keep talking about?
XANDER: I ... but how did you ... I mean, Willow wasn't even ...
WILLOW gives XANDER a reassuring pat on the shoulder, and he collapses into a chair, confused
and staring at MARY
WILLOW: Giles, can I talk to you in the back for a second?
GILES takes off his glasses and cleans them, pinching the bridge of his nose.
GILES: Please.
They leave. XANDER snaps out of it, looking at the pair in horror.
XANDER: You've leaving me with her?
MARY: Xander, that isn't a very nice way to talk about Anya.
XANDER: I wasn't talking about Anya!
MARY blinks at him, blankly. She doesn't get it.
ANYA: Are you sure you aren't a sexbot? (To XANDER) She better not be your sexbot.
XANDER: Oh, I am in hell.
THE TRAINING ROOM of the Magic Box
GILES: So she just...
WILLOW: Appeared. Xander and I were tossed over this headstone, and when we stood up -- poof! -- freaky blond girl.
GILES: And you dont know what happened to Buffy.
WILLOW: Not even a little tiny clue. At first I thought maybe Glory was doing..something..but, I cant think of why o-or how. Unless this is like Chinese Water Torture, and that's always pretty unpleasant.
GILES: Slow insanity induced by..uh..
WILLOW: Mary Sue.
GILES: Mary Sue. (He glances over towards the front of the shop. MARY is visible chattering animatedly to XANDER, who looks miserable) I wouldn't rule that out just yet, actually.
WILLOW: Is she, y'know, evil?
XANDER (Offscreen): Help me..Someone, anyone, please..Tara! Tara, my favorite friend..
WILLOW gives GILES a pained look and rushes back towards the front room. MARY is rambling on and on about nothing in particular, her voice because inaudible as XANDER tries to herd ANYA and the recently arrived TARA towards the door.
TARA: Um..Willow, what's..
XANDER: Less talking, more leaving, lets go..
ANYA (Matter-of-factly): You're very unnerving.
MARY stops talking long enough to flash ANYA a winning smile; she's taken it as a compliment.
ANYA just looks at her, and then leaves.
TARA: We're going to go back to Xander's and..um..
XANDER: Do anything but this.
TARA: Yeah. W-Willow?
WILLOW glances to GILES, who is studying MARY. He doesn't seem to register that he's being abandoned yet.
WILLOW: Yeah, I'm coming.
She grabs her coat the is hustled out the door by XANDER. TARA leaves, and XANDER gives
GILES one last look.
XANDER: If she gets scary, call us, we'll come with weapons.
GILES: What? Oh! What, wait, are you suggesting I stay here with her alone?
XANDER: Pretty much.
He leaves before GILES can object. As the door closes, we can overhear:
MARY: Giles! I'm glad were alone, we haven't really talked lately.
GILES: Oh, good Lord. Xander!